--- title: "Bend It Like Beckham: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/bend-it-like-beckham/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/bend-it-like-beckham" critics_score: 62 critics_reviews: 10 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Bend It Like Beckham (2002): what the critics said Critics' score 62 from 10 reviews: 4 positive, 4 mixed, 2 negative. The consensus leans towards qualified affection: most critics find Bend It Like Beckham cheerful and engaging, even when they recognise the formula. Praise clusters around the performances, particularly Parminder Nagra’s charm and energy, and Gurinder Chadha’s warm handling of family relationships. The more enthusiastic reviews enjoy the buoyant direction and the way football brings people together, treating the familiar story as little obstacle to its pleasures. The spread is fairly wide, with predictability acceptable to some critics and a serious limitation for others. Reservations centre on sitcom-like writing, stereotypes and an unwillingness to let family conflict hurt. The Guardian admires the smart lines and football editing but finds the cheerfulness too insistent. Slant Magazine offers a sharper objection, arguing that sexualised images of women undermine the film’s message of empowerment. The divide is over how much its warmth can excuse. ## Empire — Alan Morrison Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. Morrison calls it a delightful, feel-good crowd-pleaser with an infectiously buoyant mood. He singles out Chadha’s warm handling of family relationships and the appealing lead performance. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/bend-like-beckham-review/) ## The AV Club — Nathan Rabin Fi1m's normalised score 78/100 (inferred from the text). 12 March 2003. Rabin finds the film a formulaic but exuberant crowd-pleaser. He praises Gurinder Chadha’s vibrant direction and the leads’ fresh, winning performances. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/bend-it-like-beckham-1798198349) ## The New York Times — A. O. Scott Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 12 March 2003. The review finds the film an engaging, upbeat comedy. It singles out its lively treatment of a young woman pursuing soccer against her family’s expectations. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/12/movies/film-review-her-mom-may-kick-but-a-girl-plays-to-win.html) ## Time Out — TCh Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). The review presents the film as a sweet, positive youth movie. It praises football’s ability to bring people together. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/bend-it-like-beckham) ## Variety — Derek Elley Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 28 March 2002. Elley finds the comedy amusing and charming, though its sitcom-like writing and stereotypes keep it from deeper impact. He especially praises Parminder Nagra’s spirited, winning performance as Jess. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2002/film/reviews/bend-it-like-beckham-1200550516/) ## Screen Daily — Sheila Johnston Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 19 March 2002. The review's verdict cannot be determined from the accessible page. Its praise or criticism is likewise unavailable because the article text is paywalled. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/bend-it-like-beckham/408674.article) ## Total Film — Total Film Rating 3/5. 12 April 2002. The review finds the film funny, heart-warming and enjoyable, though predictable. It praises the performances, especially Parminder Nagra’s, and the film’s feelgood treatment of friendship and family. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/bend-it-like-beckham-review/) ## The Guardian — Philip French Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 14 April 2002. French finds the film relentlessly cheerful and entertaining, but ultimately let down by its reliance on familiar sports and family-comedy clichés. He praises the smart lines and impressively edited football scenes, while faulting the script for avoiding real pain. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/News_Story/Critic_Review/Observer_review/0,,683987,00.html) ## Slant Magazine — Nick Schager Rating 1.5/4. 14 March 2003. Schager finds the film predictable and only falsely uplifting. He criticizes its sexualized images of women as undermining its empowerment message. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/bend-it-like-beckham/) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 5 April 2002. The critic finds the film formulaic and broad, though its feelgood approach is likely to succeed. Parminder K Nagra’s charming performance is singled out for praise, while the ending is called a cop-out. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/bend-it-like-beckham-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/bend-it-like-beckham.md